A Molting Colony Of Penguins Make It Look Like Their Whole World Has Stopped

chalc3d0ny

By chalc3d0ny

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When the Antarctic temperature drops at the start of winter, thousands of penguins must shed their summer plumage for a thicker, winterized coat. As their feathers float away in the winter wind, Antarctic penguins must conserve energy — they are unable to dive and feed until they have completely molted and regrown their feathers.

But when this many penguins molt all at the same time, things start to get a little messy for the colony. Feathers go EVERYWHERE and make it almost look like it’s snowing. Without the ability to swim and dive for food, they stand motionless together until they are able to get their full amount of feathers back.

In this video, Sir David Attenborough takes us into a whirlwind of penguin feathers as the Antarctic winter descends upon a penguin colony at Deception Island — watch the video!